Cop-shop cannabis pong causing concern for gardai

Gardai have complained that stations reek of weed for days after seizures because of inadequate storage facilities.

Officers who claims that they are forced into substandard working conditions spoke to The Journal about smelly weed in stations.

“The smell is extremely pungent and very distinctive,” one officer said, ”it has an unusual rotten smell.”

The officer went on to complain that the smell “would be lingering in the station for days”.

After gardai make seizures the drugs are brought back to the station and placed in storage for a day or two before being moved to a central store.

“Everything is secured properly so there’s no danger of anything happening to it but even if it’s in a safe, that stops someone getting into it – it’s not going to keep the stench from getting out,” said an officer.

"The real issue is that many of the secure rooms they’re stored in don’t have proper ventilation so there’s a certain level of drug fumes in the air. It’s the old open window system for a few days until it clears out.

“It’s not a great working environment but there’s nothing to say it’s a health and safety issue so they’re in no hurry to do anything about it.”

Gardai described poor working condition at the annual conference of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), they listed cramped locker rooms, inadequate toilet facilities and wires hanging from ceilings among the issues.